Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – Fri-Yay/Good News

Today’s Good News story comes from the Good News Network. Here is the entire story.

Former Marine Driving 1,000 Miles to Ukraine Border in Minibus Loaded with Supplies, Toys, and Blankets for Refugees

by Andy Corbley March 3, 2022

Tom Littledyke

A former UK Royal Marine has loaded a 16-seater minibus with sleeping bags, pillows, and toys for refugees moving across the Ukrainian border into Poland and pledged to drive 1,000 miles to personally deliver them.

31-year-old Tom Littledyke from Lyme Regis began his journey on February 28th, saying he was inspired to act after seeing pictures of “families broken and separated by the conflict.”

Setting up a fundraiser, it took Littledyke just twelve hours to fill his minibus with supplies and collect £4,000 in donations ($5,300) for the trip.

“Too often do we think that we have to do something grand, and if it can’t be grand, what’s the point,” he told the BBC. “It doesn’t matter what we do as long as it’s something in the right direction. There’s so many of us who want to help. It will all build to this gigantic thing.”

The 1,000 mile (1,600 km) drive will take him and his cargo through England, France, Germany, and Poland before arriving at the border with Ukraine, where an alleged 500,000 refugees have fled. After unloading the supplies, he plans to utilize the bus to give rides to people who have a place to stay.

Littledyke’s partner will hold down the fort in his absence, which consists of two pubs and an Italian restaurant.

While it is said that war is hell, Good News Network knows that during times when the capacity for human malevolence is greatest, the capacity for compassion is greater.

The good news here is one man decided to do something to help Ukrainians. Today’s JohnKu reminds us to think of those in need. I hope you have a super weekend, and maybe you can think of a small way to help.

Little Acts by John W. Howell © 2022

Big efforts to help,

Can also use the support . . .

Of little kind acts.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – Fri-Yay/Good News

Today’s good news is a little different. It is all about poetry. It is not just about poems but a unique way to deliver poems. It is called Telepoem.

These are refurbished phone booths that when visited and a number is dialed, the caller can listen to a selection from over 1000 poems. You don’t need a quarter either.

 – Vintage phone booths and kiosks with 1000+ verses in the poetry directory allow you to dial-a-poem on a rotary or push-button phone. 

– A multi-sensory community gift: visual, haptic and aural, multi-genre and multi-media. ADA accommodations provide poetry for all users of all physical abilities.

-Poetry, art, and music pieces, that engage participation and feature community poets. Performance vehicle for voices of many kinds. Co-created with the community.

Current Installations:

Telepoem Booth® Iowa

in the Millwork District covered walkway connecting East 10th and East 11th streets, Dubuque, IA

​​​​​​Telepoem Booth® Bisbee
Jonquil Motel, 317 Tombstone Canyon Rd.

Bisbee, AZ

Telepoem Booth® Santa Fe
Genoveva Chavez Community Center
3221 Rodeo Road, Santa Fe, NM

Telepoem Booth® NMHU
Burris Hall, National Ave., New Mexico Highlands University

Las Vegas, NM

​Telepoem Booth® State College

The Maker, 209 W. Calder WayState College, PA

So the good news is there is poetry is available in refurbished cast-off phonebooths. Even better news would be a poem booth on every corner. Today’s JohnKu talks about joy. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Surprise by John W. Howell © 2022

Finding some good news,

When all the world genders bad . . .

Is a joy for sure.

 

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF – Fri-Yay/Good News

BETHEL PARK, Pa. — A football coach in Pennsylvania canceled his team’s scheduled weightlifting session on Monday after a snowstorm blanketed the eastern part of the country.

When there’s a snow day or school is closed, Bethel Park football players typically meet in the workout room at 9 a.m. But instead of hitting the gym on Monday, the team hit nearby neighborhoods to help dig people out of the snow.

“It brought tears to my eyes, and I just feel like it’s a really great thing for them to do on their day off,” said Bethel Park resident Greg Hardy.

Hardy was getting ready to shovel his driveway when he was surprised that it was already being done for him.

“My wife said, ‘You don’t have to bother.’ And I said, ‘Why not?’ I looked outside and there they were, two snowblowers and five young gentlemen,” Hardy said.

They were all players from the football team who were just following orders from their coach, Brian DeLallo.

DeLallo, who’s both a football coach and teacher at Bethel Park High School, tweeted out that Monday’s weightlifting workout was canceled and to find an elderly or disabled neighbor who needs their driveway shoveled. He specified that this was an act of kindness, saying the team shouldn’t accept any money for their service.

“If you go on Twitter, you see high schools all over western Pennsylvania doing this. I think it says more about the kids and coaches involved in our game and gets kids out to help our community. That’s what it’s all about,” DeLallo said.

The players took their workout seriously and went door to door throughout their neighborhoods.

“We have been going house to house around the neighborhood seeing who still needs their driveway shoveled, and we tell them we will do it for free,” said freshman Jack Bruckner.

It was a workout that the team welcomed.

DeLallo said his players were texting photos of each other clearing driveways, one after another, first thing in the morning.

“It’s great to see the kids buy-in and get out there. They’ll shovel all morning, and then, hopefully, they’ll go sled riding in the afternoon and get to be kids,” DeLallo said.

And for neighbors like Greg Hardy, he’s now forever a Bethel Park football fan.

“They wouldn’t take anything! And I wanted to tell them, ‘Next fundraiser, put me down for whatever they need!’ It just made my day,” Hardy said.

The good news here is a coach, and his team made a difference. Today’s JohnKu talks about service. I hope you have a great weekend.

Service by John W. Howell © 2022

A coach takes the lead,

His team makes his word golden . . .

Service looks like this.